


Defect

by blackrabbitsan



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Family, Gen, Kid!Allen has a dirty mouth, Lots of swearing on the first chapter, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Not Beta Read, Obsessive Behavior, Other, Possessive Behavior, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23389786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrabbitsan/pseuds/blackrabbitsan
Summary: The world itself has its own way of dealing with irregularities.
Relationships: Allen Walker & Mana Walker, Nea D. Campbell & Allen Walker, Noah Family & Allen Walker
Comments: 7
Kudos: 111





	1. Red

_You are defective.  
I must fix what you have broken.  
I must return everything to its original state.  
That is how things should be in this world._

* * *

To most people, the circus was a fun and magical place. When you enter those colorful striped tents, it's like entering into a strange wonderland filled with equally strange people.

Clowns danced around the stage, making fools of themselves for the audience's amusement. A joke here and an exaggerated fall there were enough to elicit laughter from the people watching them.

Next were the beast tamers. They were performers who never failed to make the audience gasp and stare in awe, for they had the capability to tame magnificent animals that came from the wild. A whip cracked and a tiger's roar soon followed. Sometimes, they would ask the audience for a volunteer and the brave souls would find themselves consumed with fear and excitement as they stand close to the beast with only the tamer there to protect them.

Then, the tightrope walker comes into the stage. Calm and elegant in her movements as she steps on to a single piece of rope, suspended high above the stage. She shows her flexibility and superior balance, doing a split effortlessly on the rope before standing up once more. She makes it to the end and is awarded by a round of applause.

She is whisked away by a man on the trapeze, making the cheers grow louder. Down below, the fire dancer makes his entrance, spinning his staff around, both ends burning with crimson flames. He swallows it all down and after a few moments, blows it all out as if he were really breathing fire.

The entirety of the circus then comes onto the stage, combining all of their performances and making a spectacular image. The audience erupts into loud cheers once more as the show comes to an end.

The circus master steps forward and bows with a flourish, thanking the audience for their presence in the day's performance. With a greedy glint in his eye, he asks them in a sickly sweet voice to come again for another amazing show.

People leave one by one, chattering amongst themselves until the circus tent slowly becomes silent.

The magic has ended and all that is left is an empty stage, surrounded by empty chairs. Confetti, empty containers, and other forms of trash littered the ground. The performers weren't people that came from a strange wonderland anymore. They now reverted back to failures of society who didn't have anywhere else to go. It was either they join this ridiculous freak show or die a meaningless death somewhere in the cold streets of England.

The clowns grumbled and scowled as they got rid of their itchy makeup. The beast tamers yelled and cracked their whips once more as they rangled the beasts back to their cages. The beautiful tightrope walker took off her elaborate hat, revealing a horrible burn scar on the side of her face. The man on the trapeze argued with her, using every foul language they could think of.

"What the bloody hell were ya thinkin' you bastard? Ya almos' dropped me!"

"Ya were heavy, ya stupid bitch! Lose some weight ya pig!"

"Why I outta-!"

The remaining performers kept out of the way of their fight, rolling their eyes and doing maintenance on their equipment. In the circus master's personal tent, he grinned as he counted the circus' earnings. If only he could keep this money all to himself. Unfortunately, the freaks outside would hound him if he didn't give them their salary.

Away from the chaos, in that quiet and empty stage, a boy with red hair emerged from behind the curtain, carrying a few cleaning supplies. As he looked around the tent, his scowl deepened. Cleaning this mess up was going to take him all night. And he had to start early tomorrow so he could serve breakfast to the performers.

"Goddammit all!" He cursed before angrily slamming his wet mop on the floor.

* * *

If Red could be anywhere else in the world, he probably would have dropped everything and bolted out of this damn circus. Unfortunately, this was the only place that would ever accept a ‘cursed’ child like him. As he wiped the sweat off his brow, his eyes caught his useless red arm, laying limply by his side. It was the cause of all of his misfortune.

He didn’t have any recollection of his parents, but he assumed that they probably left him because of his gross arm. Even the people that had seen him called him a ‘monster’ and a ‘demon child’. He was lucky that the circus master let him stay, but bloody hell, he hated it here. The other performers were just awful people, especially that damn clown Cosimov. He was always the one that harassed Red the most. For the sole reason that he needed a punching bag to relieve his pent up stress.

His beatings got especially worse recently since a new recruit has been stealing the attention of the audience. Another clown with his pet dog. Red really couldn’t care less about the man, but he can’t help but curse him in his mind too. Cosimov’s starting to get jealous of his rising popularity, then that turns to frustration, then anger, and finally, it ends up with Red getting beaten up black and blue.

By next morning, Red was dead on his feet. It was almost dawn once he finished cleaning up the circus tent (can’t these people take care of their own damn trash?!), which gave him only 3 hours of sleep before he had to get up and help prepare breakfast.

His eye bags could be seen under his large silver eyes and he can’t help but yawn every few minutes, causing him to get hit on the head with the cook’s ladle. His mouth watered as he smelled the delicious soup in the large pot, stomach grumbling as the cook instructed him to carry this to the performers’ tent and serve everyone. Naturally, he won’t be getting any until everyone was served their meal (if there were any left for him anyway).

It was just another tiresome day for Red. That is until Cosimov decided to be a jerk and trip him up just as he had entered the performers’ tent. Before he knew it, the boy was on the ground, face planted in the dirt. The pot he was carrying fell to the ground with a loud bang, spilling its contents and making a huge mess.

With a groan, Red pushed himself off the ground and stared in horror at what had just happened. The performers started yelling at him. The boy didn’t care about that though. He ignored their yelling in favour of the circus master’s thundering footsteps approaching him. With a grimace, the boy hurriedly got up. A few moments later, the shadow of the portly man loomed over him.

“Just what the hell do ya think yer doin’, ya little brat?”

Red could tell from the tone of his voice that he was absolutely livid. As he looked up, he saw the circus master’s pudgy face, flushed red in anger. The boy could see Cosimov from the corner of his eye, smirking triumphantly at him. Red clenched his fist. _‘No good son of a bitch…!’_

“It ain’t my fault, sir! Cosimov, he…!” He was silenced as the man’s cane collided with his face. It sent him tumbling to the ground and he couldn’t help but curse in his mind again because it bloody hurt and was probably going to leave a nasty bruise.

“Don’t go blamin’ your mistakes on other people, you freak! I took you in, so you gotta earn your keep! And what do you do?! You make a fucking mess! You wasted the food for everyone! This ain’t cheap!” Red bit his lip, preventing himself from talking back. He was already in deep trouble. He didn’t want to make things worse, otherwise he might get kicked out.

The other performers watched the scene with cold eyes. They couldn’t care less about what happened to Red anyway. What they cared more about was their empty stomachs. The tightrope walker crossed her arms and sighed, glaring at the snickering clown by the entrance of the tent.

“‘Ey you.” She snapped, catching the clown’s attention. Seeing her glare, the man’s smile faded away and levelled her with a glare of his own.

“Yeah? Whaddya want, scarface?”

“I don’t fucking care if the brat’s yer punching bag or whatever, but do us all a favour and think before ya fuckin’ act. Ya coulda beaten ‘im up later in yer own time, but no, ya trip ‘im up like ya were some damn immature brat and cost us our grub. Have fun performin’ on an empty stomach like the rest of us, fucker.”

Some of the performers who saw Cosimov’s prank agreed, shooting him dirty looks before they scurried off to their dressing rooms. The tightrope walker clicked her tongue at him before following the others. Cosimov on the other hand stood there, starting to tremble with rage. He kicked the nearby cart before angrily stomping out of the tent.

Meanwhile, Red was still getting yelled at. He flinched as the man’s spit landed on his face.

_'Fucking nasty!’_

“One more mistake like this and I’m leavin’ you to rot, you useless freak! Understand?!”

“Yes sir…”

Red really hated Cosimov.

Later that evening, he found himself sitting on a fallen log, a little ways away from the circus. Snow was continuously falling, covering everything in white. The boy tucked his knees to his chest, trying to ignore the rumbling of his stomach. With a scowl, he looked at the circus tent, cursing each and every one of its members. That’s the only thing he can do at this point. Just lay there like a fucking doormat and take their shit.

Just as Red thought that the day couldn’t get any worse, the circus master punished him for his earlier act of ‘clumsiness’. He won’t be getting any dinner tonight. It made his misery ten times worse. Red had a huge appetite and the normal meals they provided for him weren’t enough to satisfy him. Eating nothing for the whole day though? That was a nightmare. He felt weak and dizzy. He wouldn’t be surprised if he suddenly fainted right now.

It was times like these when Red wondered that, if it wasn’t for his arm, would he still have a family? Would his parents have not abandoned him if he was normal? Maybe, if his arm wasn’t deformed, he would have a home like those other snot-nosed brats. A roof over his head, a warm bed, three meals a day…those things were simple necessities in life but it sounded like luxury to the boy that had nothing and didn’t belong anywhere in his 8 years of life.

“Mommy! Mommy! There’s a toy I saw by that shop! Can you buy it for me?” A little girl cried as she walked hand in hand with her parents. Her mother gave her an exasperated look in return.

“Again, dear? We just bought you a toy a week ago.”

The girl’s father chuckled as he saw his daughter pout before turning to look at him with pleading eyes. “Come now, she doesn’t ask for too much. Let’s just buy it darling." The mother sighed in response. It seems their daughter has her husband wrapped around her little finger.

“Very well. But you’ll have to take care of it, alright?”

“Yay! Thank you, mommy!”

Red watched the trio with envy as they passed by, completely ignoring him.

“…Some people have all the luck. Damn nobles…” He muttered, burying his face in his knees. His body shivered and his stomach grumbled even more, but he couldn’t care less at the moment.

* * *

“…Now where could Allen have wandered off too?” Mana Walker asked himself, worry present on his face. The little dog was just following him around a few moments ago, but the next thing he knew, Allen was gone. He looked around the circus tent, musing that for such an old dog, it had a lot of energy and tended to scurry off somewhere when it had the chance.

Seeing no sign of the animal in the tent, Mana walked out, leaving the warmth of the tent and stepping into the cold. It was still snowing, and the drop in temperature was enough to make his breaths visible. He shivered as a cold breeze blew, hugging himself in an attempt to keep warm.

“Allen? Where are you? Come here, boy!” He whistled, before distant barking reached his ears. Allen ran towards him, barking at his heels and pulling on his pant leg. It was obvious that the dog wants to lead him somewhere.

“Alright, alright. No need to pull at my pants like that. I do need them when I perform.” He chided the canine as it led him to who-knows-where. After walking a short distance, Allen stopped, gesturing to a small child that was probably freezing to death. Mana hurriedly approached the boy, taking him into his arms. His whole body was shivering and his cheeks were flushed. If he stayed outside a little longer, he would most likely suffer from hypothermia.

“This won’t do at all.” He muttered before he hurried to the tents, Allen trailing after him. He needed to get this boy warmed up.

Mana knew who this child was. He was known throughout the circus as ‘Red’ because of his deformed left arm. He usually wore his tattered long sleeve shirt to cover most of the deformity, but a simple glance at his exposed left hand with completely black fingernails and hard, red skin was enough to show how horrible the rest of his arm probably looked.

Gently, the man grasped the child’s cold, red hand, his thumb brushing against the green cross at the back of it. Oh how he pitied this child. He is still so young, yet he had already been contaminated by the false god’s innocence. The Noah within him screamed to destroy it, here and now. He could feel the hatred and anger brewing within his heart.

 _Destroy. Destroy. Destroy_.

But as Mana looked at the child’s face, his eyes softened. Even if he is a host, he is still a child. A pitiful child who had been rejected by the humans. Beings that accommodators like him are supposed to protect. Such irony, it almost made him laugh. Mana acknowledges that he isn’t in his…most stable of mind at the moment, but he has enough awareness to not harm an innocent child who didn’t do anything wrong.

He sighed before standing up. He really needed to change out of his work clothes. And his makeup was starting to itch too. Then, he should probably get the boy some food. He must be starving.

* * *

Red woke up to something wet and sticky on his face. He groaned and batted the thing away, receiving a whine in response. He rolled over on the bed, letting out a content sigh as he snuggled into the blankets and pillows.

…

Wait, what?

The child snapped his eyes open and sat up. He heard an animal yelp in surprise due to his abrupt movements, causing him to look down and see a dog gazing up at him with its tail wagging. The dog barked at the child happily, placing his paws on Red’s thigh.

The child squinted at the canine before looking around the room. He was in one of the performer’s personal tents. Judging by the costumes piled on top of him like a makeshift blanket, it was probably one of the clowns. He looked back at the dog again. The thing had settled on his lap, tail still wagging.

“You…aren’t you that newbie’s-“

“Oh! You’re awake!” A cheerful voice cried. A man with long curly hair tied up in a low ponytail entered the tent, clad in a cheap, yellow suit. Red gazed at the man cautiously as he placed a tray of food on the bedside table. The man babbled nonstop with a carefree smile on his face as he did so.

“I got really worried when I saw you out in the snow! You were shaking really badly and you might have died if Allen hadn’t found you! You know he’s a really old dog, but he always wanders around and sometimes I just end up panicking because I can’t find him! There was the time where I couldn’t find him after a whole day and it turns out that he was in my top hat all along! Can you believe that?! I thought he wandered off on a whim again but it turns out he was actually leading me to you. Allen’s a real hero, huh? You really were freezing to death, so I brought you here!” He finished, gazing at Red’s blank face with his sparkling eyes and carefree smile.

 _‘What a weirdo.’_ He thought, unnerved and annoyed by his ramblings.

“…I didn’t need yer help.” The child muttered, getting off the bed and walking towards the entrance of the tent.

“Huh? Wait, Red! Please don’t be like that!” Much to Red’s shock, the man had literally plucked him off the ground like a toddler. The child immediately started struggling, flailing his limbs and throwing profanities at the man. He paid them no mind, gently placing Red back on the bed again.

“Are ya out of yer mind?! Don’t touch me ya damn clown!” He screamed while Mana placed the makeshift blanket over him once more.

“You can just go rest here, I don’t mind.”

“Well, I do!”

“Look, I even brought you some food.” Mana chirped, completely ignoring Red’s protests. He grabbed the tray and placed it on the child’s lap. “Here. You should eat it before it gets cold."

“I don’t need it!”

_Growl!_

Red froze as his empty stomach betrayed him. An embarrassed blush was starting to bloom on his childish face as he avoided eye contact with the man. Mana still looked at him expectantly, waiting for Red to take a bite. The latter mumbled something under his breath before finally starting to eat. As soon as he took the first bite, it was immediately followed by another and another.

Mana watched in awe at how fast the child was eating. It was understandable since he hadn’t eaten anything for the whole day. He just hoped that Red didn’t choke.

“…Whash yerh name ahgain?” Red asked as he chewed a piece of his bread.

“My name’s Mana. Mana Walker.”

This was the day where Red’s odd friendship with Mana began.

…This was also the day where Red’s dreams became…strange.

* * *

_When Red opened his eyes, he saw an endless night sky above him. It was devoid of stars, thoroughly covered by dark clouds producing snow. The boy blinked and sat up, wondering where he was. He saw glowing white trees surrounding him from all directions. They looked beautiful and otherworldly._

_“Is this a dream…?”_

_Red asked himself. Then, out in the distance, he heard a melody start to play. It’s a gentle and warm sound, embracing him and making him feel safe. The child wondered if this is what a mother’s love feels like. Mothers are like that, aren’t they? Warm, kind, and loving (not his mother, never his mother, for she abandoned him along with his father)._

_“Come here, little one.” A voice beckoned. Red obeyed without a thought._

_He started walking, leaving a trail of footsteps on the snow. He let the voice guide him to where they were. The melody was getting louder._

**_Then the boy fell asleep_ **  
**_and one or two embers in the fading_ **  
**_ashes of the fire_ **  
**_flared up in the shape of a beloved face_ **

_“…How pretty…” Red mumbled, oblivious to the tears that started flowing down his face. In the distance, he saw a figure playing the piano. The figure didn’t look human to him. It was a mere shadow with a grinning face. Red should have been disturbed, but he wasn’t. He just kept on walking._

_Closer and closer…_

**_Dreaming many thousands of dreams_ **  
**_spreading across the land_ **  
**_Your silver gray eyes shine their light_ **  
**_like stars falling down from the night sky_ **

_The melody stopped abruptly as the shadow stood up. He kneeled down and held out his arms._

_“Red…come here…”_

_Once again, the boy obeyed. He felt the shadow embrace him, gentle and loving. The child clutched its coat, burying his face into the fabric._

_“Who are you?” Red asked. The shadow didn’t answer. They merely patted his head and hugged him tighter._

_“It’s alright, Red. You’ll be home soon.”_

_“What do you-“_

_Before he could finish talking, everything started to crumble all around him. The child cried out in alarm as the shadow started to crack and turn into dust._

_“You’re waking up. Let’s meet again later, alright?”_

* * *

“Here ya go. Fetch!” Red states, throwing the star patterned ball a few distance away. Allen barked happily and chased after the projectile, hurriedly grabbing it with its mouth once it landed. It ran back to Red, repeating the same process. From beneath a tree, Mana watched them play with a smile.

It's been a few weeks ever since they met, and the man was glad that Red had finally opened up to him. He was quite the little spitfire, but Mana can handle little tantrums. He spent a lot of time with Road after all.

It worried him when he spotted bruises on Allen's body. Humans really were disgusting...especially…

"Hey, freak! Slacking off again?" Cosimov approached Red with a menacing smile. "Wait 'till the boss hear's about this. You'll be out in the streets in no time." Red grabbed Allen and cradled the dog protectively. "Yeah? And what about you?! Better get workin'! Otherwise, you'll get thrown out on you fat ass!" The child snapped. Cosimov's nostrils flared and he raised his fist, preparing to strike.

Red braced himself for impact. But it never came. Mana had gotten in between Red and Cosimov. He had grabbed Cosimov's wrist, locking it in a death grip.

"Now, now...it isn't nice to hit children…" Mana chided. Cosimov was about to retort but went tongue tied as he saw the murderous look in Mana's eyes. "Leave Red alone. Or else...I'll break your wrist. And you wouldn't want that, right?"

Cosimov screamed profanities at them, but inevitably ran with his tail between his legs. He can't help but think that something was wrong with that newbie.

Mana sighed before looking back at Red with a concerned gaze. "Are you alright, Red?"

The child gaped at him before sparkles appeared in his eyes. "That was so fucking cool! I didn't know ya had a backbone, Mana!" The man sweat dropped. Did he really look like a pushover?

Meanwhile, Cosimov cursed as he clutched his bruised wrist. This will definitely get in the way of his performance. "Damn brat...damn newbie…" He hissed, eyes filled with rage. "I'll get you for this."

* * *

Red didn't know what he was seeing at first. Mana had been looking for Allen for a while. It's as if the dog had vanished after today's performance. The child had already been looking for an hour. He searched through the snow covered surroundings until he finally noticed a lump in the snow.

It was definitely Allen. Red can recognize him anywhere. The dog looked as if it was sleeping.

"Hey, Allen? The hell are ya doin' there?" The dog didn't stir even as Red approached, calling for him repeatedly.

"Allen?" Red froze as he saw the pool of blood the dog was laying on, tainting the snow.

Allen isn't moving. That's a lot of blood. His friend is hurt. He's…

Red quickly ran towards the dog's unmoving body, cradling it in his arms. He gazed at Allen's head, which was cracked open, with horror. Before he knew it, Red started to sob as he clutched Allen's body tighter. That was how Mana found him later. Shivering and drenched in the snow. He still wouldn't let go of Allen.

The man took off his jacket and covered Red with it, squeezing his shoulder as a form of comfort. "Allen died. Someone killed him." Red mumbled, tears still falling down his face.

"I see." Mana sighed.

"...He was an old dog. Still...even I didn't want to see him die like this."

Red said nothing.

"Come, Red. You shouldn't stay here. You'll get sick. We'll bury Allen, okay? That's all we can do."

* * *

_"I suppose it's time for all of you to move."_

_A group of people began to gather around a man, clad in a pristine black suit. He tipped his top hat up to gaze at the group of people, gazing at him in excitement._

_"Once tomorrow night comes, kill all of the people here. Leave no one alive."_

* * *

Early in the morning, Red and Mana could be seen standing before a grave, topped with a cross made from branches.

"...Red, would you like to leave this circus with me?"

"Huh?!" Red snapped his head up to gaze at the man, jaw dropping open.

"Leave?! Are ya serious?!"

"Of course. Allen is no longer here. I'll probably get kicked out since I can't do my acts anymore. You hate it here, don't you? So why don't you come with me?"

"Well, I do wanna leave. But where the hell are we gonna go?"

Mana smiled and patted his head.

"Anywhere. We'll just keep walking and see where that takes us."

Red thinks that that's the stupidest idea he's ever heard.

...But it's not a bad idea either.

With one last goodbye to Allen, he takes Mana's hand.

* * *

Cosimov's having the time of his life. He can't help but grin as he heard his boss screaming about Mana and Red's disappearance.

Good riddance.

He's the star of the show again, and he can just find someone else to torment. Come to think of it, that scarface woman seems to enjoy talking back to him. Maybe he'll teach her a lesson later. She can bark, but he's sure she has no bite, especially with those slender arms.

Yeah. Her face is fucking ugly but her body...Cosimov can work with that. Right, after this performance, he's going to have a lot of fun.

The time of the performance arrived and he held his head up with pride. He enjoyed the cheering of the crowd, the applause...and then, he heard a loud bang go off.

Wait, what was that?

In confusion, he turned towards the juggling clown beside him. "Hey, what was…"

Blood splattered onto his face. The crowd grew silent as Cosimov stared blankly at the headless body before him. Star patterns appeared and quickly enveloped the body before it disintegrated into dust. Once he realized what had happened, that the man beside him just got his _head blown off_ , horror struck him and chaos erupted inside the circus.

Several people from the crowd stood up and transformed into horrifying monsters. They shot at every human that tried to escape, and before their dead bodies could even fall, they disintegrated into a cloud of dust, just like his companion. These monsters wouldn't let anyone escape.

"What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck!" Cosimov screamed as he started to run to the exit. A child was on his way, so he picked her up by the hair and threw her to the monsters. A man pushed him aside, so he punched him in turn, letting the man fall to the ground and get trampled.

He was almost there. If he could just get out of this hellhole then-

Cosimov's lifeless body fell, also getting trampled on by the frantic humans desperate to live. Once morning came, the circus was in ruins, with not a single human left. The monsters all turned back into their human forms before fleeing the scene.

Some of those that had died here will surely have someone that will grieve for them.

And when those grieving humans fall into despair and desperation, the Millennium Earl shall appear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! The first chapter is done. This has been sitting around in my drafts for a while, so I thought I might as well finish it, especially with this quarantine going on. Be safe all of you!


	2. Eyes (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of staring involved in this chapter lol.

Mana Walker...was definitely off his rocker.

That was the conclusion Red came to after a few months of travelling with the strange man. Ah, wait. Red wasn't even his name anymore. It was Allen now. That was one of the clues the child had of Mana being touched in the head.

_ The crowd gave Red and Mana a round of applause as their little show finished. The sound of coins getting tossed inside Mana's top hat was music to Red's ears. Money meant food to eat and a place to stay with a soft, warm bed. _

_ They counted their earnings before quickly securing them into a pouch. Red tucked it inside his old duffel bag. Mana can't be trusted with the money. He's scatterbrained and tends to forget a lot of things. Sometimes, Red would catch him spacing out and staring at nothing. He's a target for thieves and ruffians...especially with that gullible look on his face. _

_ Red felt the man patting his head, much to his annoyance. He was about to curse at him again, but Mana's next words made Red freeze. _

_ "Good work today, Allen."  _

_ He looked up at the man in bewilderment. "The hell? I ain't your dog, Mana! I'm Red!"  _

_ "Ah...but 'Red' doesn't suit you at all...neither did the name 'Allen' on that old dog...and you're my partner now, aren't you? So I thought I can just call you Allen! Besides, Allen Walker has a nice ring to it. Right?"  _

_ The child's eye twitched as the man looked at him with sparkling eyes. "...Fine. Whatever." He relented, causing Mana to brighten even more. _

_ "...I'll just ignore the fact that you named me after your dead dog." Allen followed afterwards with a glare. _

_ "..." _

Still, travelling with Mana wasn't too bad. Even if he was a bit of a loon. The man was a hundred times better than that circus. Then again, everything was better than that hellhole.

"We've earned quite a bit, haven't we? How about we move on to the next town?" Mana asked with a smile as they both packed up. Allen was about to answer when an old woman approached them.

"You are going to the next town, you say? Then you must be careful…" She warned with a grave look in her eyes.

Mana frowned, "May I ask why, madam?"

"That forest over there," she gestured towards the west side of the town where the entrance to the forest is located, "A monster lurks within it." Her voice was grim as she regarded the pair.

"Something happened here a few years ago, you see. One of the women here gave birth to a child with a cursed eye..."

Allen looked at the old woman dubiously for a moment. A cursed eye? What did that mean?

The old woman continued, not noticing Allen's expression.

"The child's eyes were of different colors. One was blue, like her mother's, but the other one was an eerie shade of green. Many of us predicted that the child would bring disaster to our town. And we were right. Six years passed before a tragedy had struck and we realized that that child really was a monster. At a young age, she had murdered someone with a single look! She started screaming at one of the town's people, asking him, 'What are you?!' I was there when it happened. I saw her green eye glow for a moment, and then, the poor man had turned to stone!"

Okay, things were starting to sound like utter bullshit to Allen's ears. Turning people to stone? Yeah, sure.

"Everyone was horrified and tried to kill the child immediately, but her mother had intervened. She let her escape into the forest and prevented anyone from chasing her daughter until her dying breath. Although that child was never seen again, there have been cases of people disappearing inside that forest, reduced merely to dust."

The boy frowned at the woman, thinking that she was even more of a loon than Mana. 

Although, if Allen had looked up, he would have seen the knowing look on his guardian's face.

"Those that wander the forest may never be seen again if they are not careful. If you see a girl with a glowing green eye, run immediately and don't look back.

Mana smiled and bowed to the old woman after she was done with her story.

"I see. Thank you for warning us. We will be careful." The man grabbed hold of Allen's hand as they headed towards the forest.

Allen looked back one last time and saw the old lady still staring at them as they went on their way. How creepy.

* * *

"...Hey Mana. Are we lost?"

Allen deadpanned as he saw the same tree  _ for the third time.  _ The man rubbed his neck sheepishly in response before Allen sighed. He looked up at the sky, now turning into a shade of orange and purple. It would be dark soon.

"Well, let's just camp out here then. It's not like we're gonna go far tonight."

"Right. I'm sorry, Allen…" The boy huffed before rolling his eyes at the kicked puppy look the man gave him. He sometimes wondered who was taking care of who…

"Just help me start a fire."

The two had spent their time with idle chatter until their surroundings grew dark. After eating a small meal, Allen clutched his blanket close, listening to Mana's strange bedtime story.

"And then...the boy called out his friend's name. After that, the soul came down like a shooting star. The boy was overjoyed, finally being able to see his precious friend. The end!"

The man smiled, clapping his hands once he reached the end of the story. Allen hummed and flopped down onto his bed made of leaves.

"That's it? No catch at all?"

"What do you mean, Allen?"

"You're telling me that the friend was brought back without any payment? The guy granting wishes must be stupid. Nothing's free after all."

The man stared at him intently for a while, making Allen a bit uncomfortable. Was Mana drifting off again?

"Mana?" Allen asked hesitantly. In response, the man's lips twitched upwards before he chuckled.

"Yes. Indeed you're right. There was a catch…"

"Hah! I knew it! Well, what is it?!" The boy asked, leaning forward.

"One day, I'll tell you. For now, it's a secret~"

"What?! Oh c'mon…"

* * *

_ "Hello again, Red." _

_ The boy blinked as he found himself in a familiar landscape. He turned towards the voice, seeing the smiling shadow waving at him. _

_ "Ah, I suppose I should call you Allen now. Come here, let's talk." _

_ Before he knew it, the boy's feet started moving. He sat beside the shadow, gazing at the piano in wonder. He really should be more cautious than this, but something tells him that the shadow wasn't dangerous...that he should relax because he's safe here. _

_ "Who are you, anyway?" The boy asked, his fingers pressing the piano keys and producing off-beat tones. _

_ "You can call me Neah." _

_ "Neah...huh." _

_ "Are you having fun with Mana? You're seeing all sorts of different places, aren't you?" _

_ Allen looked up at the shadow and wondered if all of this was really just a strange dream. He had a feeling that it wasn't. _

_ "It's fine I guess. Mana's crazy, but we manage." _

_ The shadow went silent for a moment before it gave a weary sigh. _

_ "That...might have been my fault." _

_ "...What? How?" _

_ The shadow patted his head before reaching out towards the piano keys. Allen withdrew his hands and watched as slender fingers glided over the instrument, playing the same song he had heard the first time he was here. _

_ "One day, you'll know the reason." _

_ Allen gazed up at the shadow in annoyance. Didn't Mana say something similar earlier? _

* * *

Once Allen woke up, the surroundings were still dark and the forest was eerily quiet. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, gazing at Mana's sleeping form in a daze.

"I'm kinda thirsty…" He mumbled before getting up. They had passed by a river a few hours ago. It shouldn't be far. 

...Allen never noticed mismatched colored eyes peering at him from the dark. The eyes gazed at Mana for a moment. They narrowed into slits before disappearing once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is out~ I wanted this chapter to be a lot longer since it's been around 2 months since I posted the first chapter, but I've been busy with online classes. We had a lot of catching up to do since the quarantine disrupted our schedule. 
> 
> If I have free time and in the mood, then I'll produce longer chapters. If not, chapters will be shorter. May brain's productivity is all over the place. 
> 
> Stay safe everyone!


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